After what seems like an eternity, a healthy supply of Rebels Saga Legends figures is finally hitting stores here in New Zealand. We saw a short-lived release of the line at Toyworld and a few online stores late last year - but these were soon snapped up. Over the last week we've had confirmation that more of these figures are turning up at branches of The Warehouse throughout the country.
I restrict my 3 3/4" collecting to realistic figures, so the Rebels line hasn't been high on my priority list. Despite this, I'd always planned to make an exception for SL06 C1-10P (Chopper). I love the cobbled-together appearance of this character, and the subtle homage he pays to Ralph Macquarrie's early concept designs for R2-D2. Best of all, the sculpt is realistic enough to not look out of place next to the rest of my figures.
Perhaps one of the most disappointing things about the Rebels line is its return to the old five points of articulation (two in the hips, two in the shoulders, and one in the neck). This was what we got with nearly all Star Wars figures up until the release of Episode I, but since then we've been spoiled with a long run of highly poseable figures - some featuring up to fifteen points of articulation. Hasbro has made this reversal in an effort to offer more affordable figures, and so far they've made good on this promise. In New Zealand Rebels figures retail for $12.00, compared with the $20.00-$25.00 price tag on the more highly articulated Black Series figures.
This Chopper figure is an even simpler design - boasting a mere three points of articulation (two in the "hips", and a swivel dome). To be completely honest, I found this a little disappointing. Given the smaller size of this figure compared to others in the Rebels line (not to mention the complete absence of accessories) it seems that Hasbro could have at least given him another couple of points of articulation in his feet while still keeping the same price point. This simple modification, perhaps with the addition of a removable version of his centre wheel, would have exponentially increased the playability and poseability of this figure.
These gripes aside, the rest of the figure is superb. The sculpt is flawless, and the paint application - while simple - really brings out the amazing detail. You get what you pay for, and for close to half the price of an ordinary figure this version of Chopper is still great value for money. Now I'm just hoping for some realistic versions of the rest of the Ghost crew!
